Dying to Know – Planning Meeting
On Wednesday, July 2nd, a passionate group of locals came together to imagine how we might bring death to life, with openness, honesty, curiosity, and care. Together, they dreamed up
What is the 'Minor Works Program'?
The Minor Works Program helps neighbours turn ideas into exciting community activity and projects by working together. It’s all about sharing ideas, getting inspired, harnessing skills and making things happen as a team!
The program guides ideas through four simple stages:
Dreaming big,
Planning it out,
Doing the work,
and Celebrating the success
It’s flexible, inclusive, and designed to make the process easy and fun for everyone involved.
From "wouldn't it be great if..." to "look what we did together!"
How it Works
The Minor Works Program is all about bringing ideas to life and creating chances for people to connect and collaborate along the way. With step-by-step guidance, tools, templates and resources, ideas can be supported by Volunteer Project Guides or tackled independently.
The Minor Works process transforms one person’s idea into a shared project that many feel excited about and connected to, all while ensuring it aligns with what matters most:
- Everyone’s voice matters: Every perspective is valued and included.
- Shared ideas, shared wins: Collaboration is at the heart of success.
- Do good, do no harm: Projects should be safe for people, the community and the planet.
- Open to all, at any time: Accessible and flexible, inviting everyone to participate in their own way.
Together, we can create many meaningful things that uplift and unite our neighbourhood.
The Minor Works process looks roughly like this:
The Minor Works Program provides structure but stays flexible to fit the needs of each project and the people involved. We understand that life can change, and participation might vary, or that someone may have already started working on their idea by themselves but needs extra support to keep it going. Nothing about the program is fixed—we’re here to work together and find the best way forward for both the project and the team.
How to Get Involved
A UK study found that while 60% of people want to work with others to improve their neighbourhood, only 3% actually do. Why? Because there aren’t enough opportunities, support is often lacking, and it feels too risky. The Minor Works Program is designed to change that, by creating clear ways to get involved, offering support, and making it easy to share the load.
If you have an idea
Anyone can share their idea at anytime, either at a Soup Night, at a Minor Works Drop-in session at The Pear, or by sharing their idea with the Minor Works team. Whether an idea can be supported through the Minor Works Program depends on whether the idea is a good fit, and whether there is capacity within the volunteer Project Guides Team.
If you want to get involved in projects started by others
Participation in Minor Works projects is open to anyone at any time. We’re all about making it easy for people to contribute, have their say, and learn something new – whatever their abilities or circumstances.
Every voice and idea matters, and together we can make a real difference.
Here is how you can get involved:
share your idea!
The first step to getting the ball rolling on your idea is to share it! You can do this at a Soup Night, by dropping by our Minor Works Wednesday session at The Pear, or by contacting the team directly with your idea.
come to a Soup night
A ‘potluck for ideas’, Soup Night is designed to bring ideas to the table. Join us for a bi-monthly evening of connection, conversation and community building.
join a Spark Session
Spark Sessions bring neighbours together to focus on one idea at a time. Through guided discussions, the group helps shape that idea into a project—creating enthusiasm, momentum, and first steps forward. Some of the Spark Session participants may choose to become part of the project team, some will choose to just provide their thoughts on the night.
check out the Projects Portal
The Minor Works Projects Portal is an online hub that shows what ideas and projects are happening in our neighbourhood. You can see what’s going on, learn more about each project, and find ways to join in if you’d like. Take a look to stay updated, get inspired, or get involved!
become a project guide
Project Guides offer hands-on support to help people turn their ideas into action — from shaping the idea and rallying support to planning, doing, and celebrating. If you’re keen to help others bring their ideas to life, we’re always looking for new Project Guides — no experience needed, just a passion for helping people and projects thrive.
Share Your expertise
Part of the Minor Works Program is connecting ideas and projects with the skills and expertise of other people in our neighbourhood. If you have specific experience or know-how that you are willing to share with/teach others, we would love to hear so we can link you in with projects that need them.
join a project team
Project Team
Minor Works Projects are open to everyone, and you’re welcome to get involved at any stage — whenever and however you’re able. The easiest way to stay in the loop is by joining the Projects Portal and selecting the project(s) you’re interested in. You’ll then get weekly updates about what’s happening and when/how to join the next meeting. Just come along or reach out via the Portal!
Turning ideas into real-life projects
that bring our community together to work, share, and grow.
Snaps of the Minor Works Program
Who?
As a Neighbourhood initiative, the Minor Works Program is supported by Neighbourhood Node Pty Ltd. We are developing the Program together with any and all neighbours who are interested in advancing their own and others’ ideas, there is an open invitation to anyone who would like to contribute.
Currently, there are a number of ‘teams’ working on different elements of the Minor Works Program, such as the ‘Project Guides Team’ and the ‘Soup Night Team’. These teams work autonomously on establishing and improving those parts of the Program. Additionally, we have an overarching Minor Works Program meeting every now and then, which is open to anyone who has thoughts, insights, expertise or feedback they would like to share for the benefit of the Program and its participants.
The development of the Minor Works Program is funded by a Fay Fuller Foundation ‘Discovery Grant’.
What?
The Minor Works Program provides a flexible and responsive framework of activities (such as Soup Night and Spark Sessions), guidance, tools, resources, networks and infrastructure that enables diverse ideas and initiatives to thrive. As such, the Program is focused on practical, tangible support for people who want to turn an idea into an actionable project together with others.
The Program facilitates and guides to create opportunities for: collaboration, learning, networking, and most importantly making sure that everyone who wants to, has a say and the chance to participate and contribute. We are building a local participatory ecosystem underpinned by a practical project support system.
The tools and resources that are created as part of the Minor Works Program will be made freely accessible for those who would like to use them for the public good in other contexts.
Why?
The idea for the Minor Works Program has come about from a realisation that there are both infinite potential and resources within our neighbourhood to make great things happen, but that lack of opportunities, support, know-how and access to infrastructure and networks stop many people from even trying.
The Minor Works Program attempts to make a difference to that: to empower individuals and our community, foster inclusivity and improve social wellbeing through working collaboratively on innovative and exciting projects that have the potential to create lasting change for individual neighbours and our neighbourhood as a whole.
The program draws inspiration from Every One Every Day, a 5-year project by Participatory Cities in the UK. There are lots of great place-based initiatives out there to learn from. To find out more about those, get in touch with us!
Hear from Minor Works Program participants
"Working on the project collaboratively has helped me be more confident being myself. I practiced public speaking and I felt good and positive and respected as an artist. It has strengthened our relationships"
LeanneArtist & Brilliant Cook (project: Local Art Show) 
"I like the opportunity to participate and help people reach their greater potential"
IanJustice of the Peace & Music Lover (project: Job Guarantee Pilot Program) 
"I feel so grateful to be doing this [planning my Fringe Show] with you guys. It has been a long time since I've done anything like this"
JennMime Artist (project: WAS IT A RAT I SAW Fringe Show 2025) 
Upcoming Minor Works Activities
Walking Schoolbus – Spark Session
What if your child could walk to school with their neighbours — safely, confidently, and with a smile? We’re exploring the idea of a Walking School Bus: a group of kids
Textile Hub – Spark Session
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a local space where we could come together to share skills, swap fabrics, repair and create, and connect over textiles? We’re dreaming up
